posted March 31, 2012 04:44 AM
Well I get the 1st pic obviously,but the other 2 are lost on me.I'm from the United States. I'm OK with someone dressing up as a cowboy, or the statue of liberty or anything else they think represents this country, even if it's of a dead president, any day of the year.

posted April 02, 2012 09:08 AM
I understand the points you have raised in your posts but for once I would like to make a statement: CULTURAL APPROPRIATION IS NOT CULTURAL APPRECIATION.

Cultural Appropriation: Cultural appropriation is the adoption of some specific elements of one culture by a different cultural group. It can include the introduction of forms of dress or personal adornment, music and art, religion, language, or social behavior. These elements, once removed from their indigenous cultural contexts, can take on meanings that are significantly divergent from, or merely less nuanced than, those they originally held.A common sort of cultural appropriation is the adoption of the iconography of another culture. Examples include sports teams using Native American tribal names, wearing jewelry with religious symbols such as the cross without any belief, appropriating other culture's history such as is claimed for Macedonia or Islamic traditions that Christian and Jewish prophets were Muslims, tattoos of Polynesian tribal iconography, Chinese characters, or Celtic bands worn by people who have no interest in, or understanding of their original cultural significance. When these artifacts are regarded as objects that merely "look cool", or when they are mass produced cheaply as consumer kitsch, people who venerate and wish to preserve their indigenous cultural traditions may be offended.

The reason why this is offensive to minorities is because the symbols that are meaningful to the minority culture are usually stripped of such meaning when used by a majority and are often used because they look cool. Such controversies have erupted several times over the years in the news media. A limited example here would be:

Cultural Appropriation BINGO or Common Excuses for Appropriating a Culture

Why this is offensive esp. when Whites do it?

Because Whites are the dominant majority in the US and Europe. Thye have racial privilege over minority ethnic groups yet they can wear symbols from these groups without losing that privilege or having it returned to them once they shed those symbols (eg. dreadlocks) which is not something the minorities can afford. A minority dressing up as a hill-billy or white trash does not get the white privilege so those costumes are NOT appropriation.

A more detailed breakdown esp of the headdress but applicable to many symbols of appropriation is here:

quote:So why can't I wear it?

Headdresses promote stereotyping of Native cultures.The image of a warbonnet and warpaint wearing Indian is one that has been created and perpetuated by Hollywood and only bears minimal resemblance to traditional regalia of Plains tribes. It furthers the stereotype that Native peoples are one monolithic culture, when in fact there are 500+ distinct tribes with their own cultures. It also places Native people in the historic past, as something that cannot exist in modern society. We don't walk around in ceremonial attire everyday, but we still exist and are still Native.Headdresses, feathers, and warbonnets have deep spiritual significance.The wearing of feathers and warbonnets in Native communities is not a fashion choice. Eagle feathers are presented as symbols of honor and respect and have to be earned. Some communities give them to children when they become adults through special ceremonies, others present the feathers as a way of commemorating an act or event of deep significance. Warbonnets especially are reserved for respected figures of power. The other issue is that warbonnets are reserved for men in Native communities, and nearly all of these pictures show women sporting the headdresses. I can't read it as an act of feminism or subverting the patriarchal society, it's an act of utter disrespect for the origins of the practice. (see my post on sweatlodges for more on the misinterpretation of the role of women). This is just as bad as running around in a pope hat and a bikini, or a Sikh turban cause it's "cute".

It's just like wearing blackface.

"Playing Indian" has a long history in the United States, all the way back to those original tea partiers in Boston, and in no way is it better than minstral shows or dressing up in blackface. You are pretending to be a race that you are not, and are drawing upon stereotypes to do so. Like my first point said, you're collapsing distinct cultures, and in doing so, you're asserting your power over them. Which leads me to the next issue.There is a history of genocide and colonialism involved that continues today.By the sheer fact that you live in the United States you are benefiting from the history of genocide and continued colonialism of Native peoples. That land you're standing on? Indian land. Taken illegally so your ancestor who came to the US could buy it and live off it, gaining valuable capital (both monetary and cultural) that passed down through the generations to you. Have I benefited as well, given I was raised in a white, suburban community? yes. absolutely. but by dismissing and minimizing the continued subordination and oppression of Natives in the US by donning your headdress, you are contributing to the culture of power that continues the cycle today.

But I don't mean it in that way, I just think it's cute!

Well hopefully I've illuminated that there's more at play here than just a "cute" fashion choice. Sorry for taking away your ignorance defense.

But I consider it honoring to Native Americans!

I think that this cartoon is a proper answer, but I'll add that having a drunken girl wearing a headdress and a bikini dancing at an outdoor concert does not honor me. I remember reading somewhere that it was also "honoring the fine craftsmanship of Native Americans". Those costume shop chicken feather headdresses aren't honoring Native craftsmanship. And you will be very hard pressed to find a Native artist who is closely tied to their community making headdresses for sale. See the point about their sacredness and significance.

I'm just wearing it because it's "ironic"!

I'm all for irony. Finger mustaches, PBR, kanye glasses, old timey facial hair, 80's spandex--fine, funny, a bit over-played, but ironic, I guess. Appropriating someone's culture and cavorting around town in your skinny jeans with a feathered headdress, moccasins, and turquoise jewelry in an attempt to be ‘counterculture’? Not ironic. If you’re okay with being a walking representative of 500+ years of colonialism and racism, or don’t mind perpetuating the stereotypes that we as Native people have been fighting against for just as long, by all means, go for it. But by embracing the current tribal trends you aren’t asserting yourself as an individual, you are situating yourself in a culture of power that continues to oppress Native peoples in the US. And really, if everyone is doing it, doesn't that take away from the irony? am I missing the point on the irony? maybe. how is this even ironic? I'm starting to confuse myself. but it's still not a defense.

Stop getting so defensive, it's seriously just fashion!

Did you read anything I just wrote? It's not "just" fashion. There is a lot more at play here. This is a matter of power and who has the right to represent my culture. (I also enjoy asking myself questions that elicit snarky answers.)

What about the bigger issues in Indian Country? Poverty, suicide rates, lack of resources, disease, etc? Aren't those more important that hipster headdresses?

Yes, absolutely. But, I'll paraphrase Jess Yee in this post, and say these are very real issues and challenges in our communities, but when the only images of Natives that Americans see are incorrect, and place Natives in the historic past, it erases our current presence, and makes it impossible for the current issues to exist in the collective American consciousness. Our cultures and lives are something that only exist in movies or in the past, not today. So it's a cycle, and in order to break that cycle, we need to question and interrogate the stereotypes and images that erase our current presence--while we simultaneously tackle the pressing issues in Indian Country. They're closely linked, and at least this is a place to start.

Well then, Miss Cultural Appropriation Police, what CAN I wear?

If you choose to wear something Native, buy it from a Native. There are federal laws that protect Native artists and craftspeople who make genuine jewelry, art, etc. (see info here about The Indian Arts and Crafts Act). Anything you buy should have a label that says "Indian made" or "Native made". Talk to the artist. find out where they're from. Be diligent. Don't go out in a full "costume". It's ok to have on some beaded earrings or a turquoise ring, but don't march down the street wearing a feather, with loaded on jewelry, and a ribbon shirt. Ask yourself: if you ran into a Native person, would you feel embarrassed or feel the need to justify yourself? As commenter Bree pointed out, it's ok to own a shirt with kimono sleeves, but you wouldn't go out wearing full kabuki makeup to a bar. Just take a minute to question your sartorial choices before you go out.

quote:Originally posted by Lonake:Well I get the 1st pic obviously,but the other 2 are lost on me.I'm from the United States. I'm OK with someone dressing up as a cowboy, or the statue of liberty or anything else they think represents this country, even if it's of a dead president, any day of the year.

The first is dead offensive but the other two aren't very good either.

The second one with the white woman dressed up as a Geisha is doing so to look cool w/o any sentiment to the history of the Geisha or why they wear what they wear. She is appropriating the minority's culture.

The third should be more obvious: it's a Mexican on a donkey and perpetuates a derogatory stereotype of an oppressed people.

------------------“S|_UT ” is how we vilify a woman for exercising her right to say “YES”.“FRIENDZONE” is how we vilify a woman for exercising her right to say “NO”.

posted April 02, 2012 02:11 PM
Thanks for posting this Frozen Queen. The US isn't exactly known for being a culturally aware or sensitive nation. Who knew it could be considered highly unethical, offensive and prejudice to jokingly mimic another culture or race through costume. I must have missed that lesson when I was in school, "Bigotry 101."

posted April 02, 2012 08:13 PM
Regardes,A lot of people practice martial arts from China and Japan but they do so with respect, keeping in mind the significance of the cultural tradition and it is not appropriation or offensive.

As for the case of Ms Ami Ann, I have already asked her respectfully not to post on my threads for I leave hers alone. Since she has ignored that, I am not interested in catering to her whimsy.

Also, ETA: I welcome discussion and debate for we all have hidden prejudices that we're unaware of and only by discussion can we understand and accept. Passive aggressiveness however, does not fall under the purview of discussion ------------------“S|_UT ” is how we vilify a woman for exercising her right to say “YES”.“FRIENDZONE” is how we vilify a woman for exercising her right to say “NO”.

quote:Originally posted by NativelyJoan:Thanks for posting this Frozen Queen. The US isn't exactly known for being a culturally aware or sensitive nation. Who knew it could be considered highly unethical, offensive and prejudice to jokingly mimic another culture or race through costume. I must have missed that lesson when I was in school, "Bigotry 101."

Thank you NativelyJoan

I myself am quite new to this but I am working on eliminating the prejudices I have absorbed from the society around me by virtue of osmosis. This thread is just a small effort towards that goal. I have been guilty of this appropriation in the past and I sincerely hope I can avoid this in the future.

------------------“S|_UT ” is how we vilify a woman for exercising her right to say “YES”.“FRIENDZONE” is how we vilify a woman for exercising her right to say “NO”.

quote:If you choose to wear something Native, buy it from a Native. There are federal laws that protect Native artists and craftspeople who make genuine jewelry, art, etc. (see info here about The Indian Arts and Crafts Act). Anything you buy should have a label that says "Indian made" or "Native made". Talk to the artist. find out where they're from. Be diligent. Don't go out in a full "costume". It's ok to have on some beaded earrings or a turquoise ring, but don't march down the street wearing a feather, with loaded on jewelry, and a ribbon shirt. Ask yourself: if you ran into a Native person, would you feel embarrassed or feel the need to justify yourself? As commenter Bree pointed out, it's ok to own a shirt with kimono sleeves, but you wouldn't go out wearing full kabuki makeup to a bar. Just take a minute to question your sartorial choices before you go out.

I don`t get offended by it but rather saddened. Ignorance of Culture is 9/10ths of the population.

------------------Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it. ~Rumi~

posted April 05, 2012 02:04 AM
on a somewhat similar note, i dunno if you noticed but "crosses" are very fashionable these days, wether it be on accessories or clothing,it doesn't make any sence, really! i dunno i think it's offensive for someone to wear a religious icon for the sake of fashion.. people are blind these days, where did their better judgment go?

posted April 05, 2012 09:54 AM
"Cultural Appropriation: Cultural appropriation is the adoption of some specific elements of one culture by a different cultural group. It can include the introduction of forms of dress or personal adornment, music and art, religion, language, or social behavior. These elements, once removed from their indigenous cultural contexts, can take on meanings that are significantly divergent from, or merely less nuanced than, those they originally held."

i dunno but it has been happening for centuries. is it the offensiveness of the total package we are talking about or just bits and pieces? because a lot of what we wear today are a mish mash of just that except they have been around so long nobody notices anymore.

loafers for example were fishermen's shoes.. norweigan in origin hence the Bass (nor)weejun.

By the mid-1930s shoes handmade by Norwegian fishermen during their off-season became incredibly popular in Great Britain and the United States. These leather shoes featured slip-on styling, a moccasin toe, which was identified by the U-shaped leather inset stitched around the top of the shoe's front, and a strap sewn across the instep. The strap on Weejuns often had a diamond-shaped cutout in the center. These shoes came to be known as loafers in later decades. A variation on this moccasin-toe shoe was called the Norwegian-front shoe and featured laces over the instep. Weejuns were typically made in solid colors, but some styles were made of contrasting pieces of dark and light leather. These shoes became an important part of the fashionable preppy look of the 1950s and 1980s.

so does the paisley pattern which is heavily used in ties and pocket squares and silk of course came from china..

Resembling a twisted teardrop, the kidney-shaped paisley is Iranian and Indian in origin, but its western name derives from the town of Paisley, in central Scotland.[3]In Tamil the design is known as Mankolam and has long been used in India. It resembles a mango and has sometimes been associated with Hinduism.[4][5]In Persian the design is known as Boteh Jegheh and it has been used in Iran since the Sassanid Dynasty. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paisley_(design)

even khaki or chino trousers sold at the gap..

Chinos: Military Trousers

The first chinos were U.S. Army military issue pants. They were called chinos because they were made in China. The Spanish term for Chinese is Chino. One might ask why America used a Spanish term. One of the results of the Spanish-American War was the American acquisition of the Philippine Islands. As a Spanih colony, Spanish was widely spoken in the Philippines and after the American administration began, many Spanish terms entered the American lexicon. The British khakis duplicated in China and sold at low-cost to American soldiers in the Philippines. Military chinos have no pleats and wwere tapered at the leg bottom, primariy to conserve fabric. Chinos were used by the military through World War II.

posted April 05, 2012 10:44 AM
the reverse and even more personal as it is suppossed to signify your direct lineage if you happened to be scottish.

Clan tartans from wiki..

David Morier's An incident in the rebellion of 1745. The eight featured highlanders in the painting wear over twenty different tartans.[33]It is generally considered that "clan tartans" date no earlier than the beginning of the 19th century. It is maintained by many that clan tartans were not in use at the time of the Battle of Culloden in 1746 (by whoÂ ? reference needed). The method of identifying friend from foe was not through tartans but by the colour of ribbon worn upon the bonnet.[note 7][note 8] David Morier's well-known painting of the Highland charge at the Battle of Culloden shows the clansman wearing various tartans. The setts painted all differ from one another and very few of the those painted show any resemblance to today's clan tartans.[36] Contemporary portraits show that although tartan is of an early date, the pattern worn depended not on the wearer's clan, but upon his or her location, or personal taste. The idea of groups of men wearing the same tartan is thought to originate from the military units in the 18th century. Evidence suggests that in 1725 the Independent Highland Companies may have worn a uniform tartan.[36]

"Ye principal clovris of ye clanne Stewart" which appeared in the Sobieski Stuarts's forgery Vestiarium Scoticum of 1842[37]The naming and registration of official clan tartans began on April 8, 1815, when the Highland Society of London (founded 1778) resolved that all the clan chiefs each "be respectfully solicited to furnish the Society with as Much of the Tartan of his Lordship's Clan as will serve to Show the Pattern and to Authenticate the Same by Attaching Thereunto a Card bearing the Impression of his Lordship's Arms." Many had no idea of what their tartan might be, but were keen to comply and to provide authentic signed and sealed samples. Alexander Macdonald, 2nd Baron Macdonald of Sleat was so far removed from his Highland heritage that he wrote to the Society: "Being really ignorant of what is exactly The Macdonald Tartan, I request you will have the goodness to exert every Means in your power to Obtain a perfectly genuine Pattern, Such as Will Warrant me in Authenticating it with my Arms."Today tartan and "clan tartan" is an important part of a Scottish clan. Almost all Scottish clans have several tartans attributed to their name. Several clans have "official" tartans. Although it is possible for anyone to create a tartan and name it any name they wish, the only person with the authority to make a clan's tartan "official" is the chief.[note 9] In some cases, following such recognition from the clan chief, the clan tartan is recorded and registered by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. Once approved by the Lord Lyon, after recommendation by the Advisory Committee on Tartan, the clan tartan is then recorded in the Lyon Court Books.[36] In at least one instance a clan tartan appears in the heraldry of a clan chief and is considered by the Lord Lyon as the "proper" tartan of the clan.

Tartan has also been used by corporations in advertising campaigns. British Airways used a tartan design as part of its ethnic tailfin re-branding. This design, Benyhone (from Scottish Gaelic: "Mountain of the birds") was one of the most widely used designs, being applied to 27 aircraft of the BA fleet.[citation needed] The "Burberry Check", first designed in early 1920s, is an instantly recognisable tartan, known around the world.[50]

Clever Victorian entrepreneurs not only created new tartans, but new tartan objects called tartanware. Tartan was incorporated in an assortment of common household objects such as snuffboxes, jewellery cases, tableware, sewing accessories, and desk items. Tourists visiting the Scottish Highlands went home with it, and Scottish-based businesses sent tartanware out as gifts to customers. Some of the more popular tartans were the Stewart, McDonald, McGregor, McDuff, MacBeth and Prince Charlie.[51] Today tartanware is widely collected in England and Scotland.[52]

Tartan in fashion

A German punk wearing a piece of the Royal Stewart tartan, 1984In the Victorian and Edwardian eras, tartan-clad garments featured in fashion catalogues. By then, tartan had shifted from being mainly a component of men's clothing to become an important part of women's fashion. In consequence of its association with the British aristocracy and military, tartan developed an air of dignity and exclusivity. Because of this, tartan has made reappearances in the world of fashion several times. For instance, tartan made a resurgence in its use in punk fashion. In the late 1970s punk music was a way for youth in the British Isles to voice their discontent with the ruling class. The unorthodox use of tartan, which had long been associated with authority and gentility, was then seen as the expression of discontent against modern society. In this way tartan, worn unconventionally, became an anti-establishment symbol.[53][54]

quote:Originally posted by Venus:on a somewhat similar note, i dunno if you noticed but "crosses" are very fashionable these days, wether it be on accessories or clothing,it doesn't make any sence, really! i dunno i think it's offensive for someone to wear a religious icon for the sake of fashion.. people are blind these days, where did their better judgment go?

oh yeah I do notice some pretty cross necklaces sometimes, but then I'm like 'nope, it's not my thing, don't buy it.'

Oh Dear Lord, some people are so ignorant, it's not even funny. I laughed too

------------------You're not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who says it.If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.MALCOLM X

I'm already aware of your examples but as already stated, appropriation is offensive in the context of a minority culture's mores being used by a majority. So tartan and plaid are out. Paisley patterns on clothes are okay but not henna designs made to look like tattoos so the wearer may "look cool".

------------------You're not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who says it.If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.MALCOLM X